This invention relates to sighting devices for archery bows and, more particularly, to a lighted sighting device which provides a small point of light for aiming the bow for either hunting or target shooting in all types of light conditions or at night.
Serious hunting or target shooting archers commonly use sophisticated sighting equipment for proper aiming of their archery bows. Of course, when hunting, one of the best periods of the day to find game is during the dimly lighted, early morning or late evening hours and possibly even at night. During such periods, the visibility of even certain sophisticated sights used on archery bows is extremely limited or nonexistent. Accordingly, lighted sights have been devised in an attempt to overcome this problem.
One such lighted, sighting device for use with archery bows is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,945,127. This device includes a power source connected to a light source such as a red lens light. Light is transmitted to a series of sighting pins by several exposed optically conductive strands or fibers which extend out of the housing for the power source and curve, unprotected, to connection points with the respective sighting pins. This type of device can be damaged if the optically conductive strands or fibers catch on twigs, branches and other underbrush typically encountered when hunting game using a bow and arrow.
Other lighted sights for archery bows have also been devised. In one, a relatively large light source is secured at the end of a tube or holder. When viewed by the hunter or target shooter, such a sight pin is difficult to use and tends to make proper aiming difficult because of the large size of the light source at the very end of the device which must be used for aiming. Accordingly, accuracy with such prior sighting devices tends to be less than with other prior known, more common, unlighted sighting devices.
In addition to being easily visible and enabling accurate aiming, a sighting device for an archery bow must, therefore, be sufficiently durable, yet affordable by the archer. Because the conditions in which bows and bow sights are used vary greatly, such a sight must be able to withstand all types of weather and yet be sufficiently durable to avoid the necessity for repair especially when one is hunting or shooting in remote locations.
The present invention was conceived and devised in recognition of the above problems. The present sighting device provides a compact, reliable, efficient, lighted bow sight device which allows normal accuracy with the bow in dim light or at night and yet is inexpensive and affordable by the large majority of archers.